


Manipulated Love

by LizzyChain



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Ass-Kicking, Dark Klance, Dorks in Love, Emotional Manipulation, Evil!Lance, Feelings Realization, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith is trying so hard, Keith wants to save him, Laith, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance got kidnapped, Lance is evil, Light Angst, Lotor controlls Lance, Love Confessions, M/M, Memory Loss, OC, Own Character, Revenge, Smut, Yaoi, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2018-12-09 14:08:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11670636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzyChain/pseuds/LizzyChain
Summary: As Lance was held hostage by Lotor, his enemy got access to Lance's mind. Keith was Lance's secret crush but also his rival. Lotor used Lance's feelings against him, making Keith to the boy's most hated enemy..."L-Lance? It's me, Keith! I came to save you!" Keith called. "Sure thing, red paladin. You came to save me... what a joke. See Keith, you were always the best and I? I was just a mere replacement for you. This time, I'll defeat you. Prepare to die and taste the feeling of being the second choice."





	1. Tell me this isn't true!

“Guys, we secured the west side; over.” Shiro spoke quietly, sitting with Matt in the vents.

Hunk pushed the little button on his earbud. “The north side is full of soldiers, it seems like an event is taking place.” Katie spoke, while Hunk held a little camera.

“The escape capsules are ready as well, I’ll meet up with Lance now; over.” Keith reported.

“I inspected the east side, everything is fine.” Lance added, gasping as a blaring alarm interrupted him.

“Alarm, invaders!” a technical sounding voice spoke.

“Shit, we gotta go!” Matt hissed. _How did they notice us?!_

“Everyone, we need to get out as soon as possible! Go to your capsules and escape!” Shiro ordered, moving at speed. _Shit, we were so close!_

Keith and Lance met up at their determined location. Lance opened his capsule, feeling the violent heartbeat getting stronger, as Keith’s capsule refused to open. “Come on, open up you little shit!” Keith yelled. _No! No! No! Not now! You still functioned five minutes ago, so why are you acting up now?!_

Lance dashed over, trying to help him but it was no use. “Damn you!” he yelled kicking it violently. “Damnit! come over, we’ll use mine!” Lance spoke hurriedly, pulling Keith over. _Oh god, this is a nightmare!_

“Shit, we won’t fit in together!” Keith cursed, as he and Lance tried to squeeze themselves together in the rescue capsule.

They had infiltrated the Galraship, for the purpose of finding stolen information. Since the ship wasn’t very careful, their plan went well without problem. Despite that, they were noticed by unknown causes. One of the emergency saving capsules, which the paladins lodged beforehand, was damaged and no longer usable. Unfortunately, it was Keith’s. Lance could hear the soldiers coming closer. Panicking, he shove Keith into the capsule, locking it.

„Lance, don’t!“ Keith screamed, as the enemies came closer, desperately trying to open it again. _Don’t fuck with me, McClain! You won’t stay behind!_

“I’m sorry, Keith.” Lance said softly, tears bubbling up in his eyes, as he putted his hand on the pane. Keith pressed his hand against it as well, desperately trying to grab the other boy’s hand through the glas. “You know, deep down, I always envied you for being the best. If it wouldn’t have been for your misbehaviour, I wouldn’t have been selected for this. I think, it would’ve been for the best, if I wasn’t here. You are a great paladin, honestly.” he added, slowly backing off. _Farewell, my love… I’m sorry that I never told you how I feel about you… god, I bet you don’t even know that I don’t hate you…_

“No, stop this, Lance! You’re talking nonsense! You are important for our team, for us! You are the pilot of the blue lion and no replacement! Please, come back! We’ll find a solution!” Keith called, banging his fist against the hard material. _No! This is wrong, so fucking wrong! Come back, Lance! Shit, why won’t my words reach him?!_

“There is only this rescue pod left, Keith. We won’t fit in together and both of us dying here is no option. You are far more important to the team than anything, not like me. Thank you for playing nice, I guess. Please, tell the others I’m sorry.” Lance smiled with guilt in his eyes, pushing the eject button. _My heart might ache at the distance but I rather suffer alone than holding Keith close, when he dies for my sake… He is capable and so perfect… If I just… I wish I could’ve got along with him better…_

“Stop this, Lance! Stop playing the hero! Please, come with me!” Keith screamed as the little capsule was send into space, disappearing from Lance sight. “Lance! No! Return! I repeat, return!” Keith yelled at the device, screaming as it denied the access. _I… I failed… Lance… why?!_

Not even a minute later, Lance had to face the enemy.

“My, my, are we saving our friend? What a devoted behaviour you have. As a paladin, that’s honourable. In the situation you’re in, on the other side, it’s stupid. You know, I won’t let you get away that easily, blue paladin.” Lotor smiled, giving his helpers a sign. They took Lance’s blaster, dragging him into a dark and small room.

“You can do whatever you want, I won’t betray my friends for you!” Lance hissed, while he got restrained with shackles, his body fixated on a metal plate. _Guess I’ll face my own death now…_

“Yeah, yeah, we will see. Let us find out what you wish for at first. Included with all your little memories, I’ll make you mine, pretty paladin.” Lotor smirked, lifting Lance’s chin up. _Pitiful creature… He sure is devoted to his ‘friends’, huh? Well, let’s see how much is left of him, when I’m done with him…_

“Haggar, take your time. Meanwhile, I’ll make sure the other guy won’t get picked up by the others. You know, Lance, was it? You know, Lance, I’m a bit disappointed in you. At least the blue lion you could’ve brought. Well, I guess we need to capture it afterwards.” Lotor hummed, leaving the room. _I’ll capture everything… the lions, the princess, the universe._

“Go to hell!” Lance yelled in frustration.

“He won’t go home, just because you tell him to. That’s not how Lotor works.” Haggar mumbled. _Even if it would be nice to not hear his voice for a while…_

“Did you just… make a joke on your own leader?” Lance gasped.

“He’s the boss, not the leader. He is telling us what to do, not doing it by giving an example.” Haggar corrected him. _That would be ridiculous but amusing…_

“So, are you against him?” Lance asked, the spark of hope in his chest nearly exploding.

“I won’t help you, if that’s what you mean. You know, idiots like him are the easiest to manipulate and for people like me, that’s very fortunate.” Haggar smirked, inserting a weirdly glowing serum into Lance’s neck. “You will probably see everything you experienced until now. Enjoy it, it will be the last time you see them.” she laughed, leaving Lance alone. _Poor human, stripped of all your power over yourself…_

“Shit! I must kill myself, before they get the information about everyone!” Lance thought, desperately trying to escape from his restrains. He failed miserably, receiving electroshocks as punishment. “Fuck!” Lance cried out, staring at the pavement. _I’m done for…_

\---

In the meantime, Allura was worried. She awaited the return of the paladins, after she got informed about the failure of their mission. “Guys, are you alright?!” she asked concerned, running towards the others. Their capsuled docked against a little hole, getting sucked into the ship. They opened and released the paladins.

“Yeah, we aren’t hurt or anything.” Shiro reported, looking around. _I don’t understand what happened, though._

“We’re deeply sorry for failing.” Matt added, looking on the ground in shame. _I bet it was my sloppy work…_

“Wait, where are Keith and Lance?!” Hunk asked, panicking slightly.

“They will come here soon, Hunk, don’t worry.” Shiro spoke softly, not able to mask the hint of concern in his voice. _Weird, weren’t they the ones who were the nearest to their capsules?_

The device underneath them vibrated, signalizing the persons above the arrival of another capsule. “See, they are fine.” Katie said. _God, I’m relieved… they got me worried for a second…_

However, they started to overthink, as Keith dropped out of the capsule, screaming like a beast. “Damn, it was my fault! Lance! Why?!” he cried, his voice echoing in the whole room. His tears refused to stop flowing, while his body cramped and ached. _Lance… I killed Lance! God, I killed him!_

“Keith! What happened?! Where is Lance?!” Shiro asked, pulling the screaming teen in his arms. _Mother of god, what made him like that?! What happened to Lance?!_

“I hate it, I hate myself so much! Fuck this shit! Damn it, why, Lance?! Why you had to play the hero?! What the fuck you said?! Why do you think so lowly of yourself?! God, how can you give away your life so easily?!” Keith screamed, leaving his teammates trembling in horror. _Why?! Why wasn’t I faster than him?! I should’ve saved him… Lance… I want to die… What will I do without you?!_

“K-Keith? Where is Lance?” Katie asked, tearing up. _No… He must be joking… No way…_

“Please, don’t tell me he is…” Hunk began but didn’t dared to finish the sentence. _This is… no, Lance isn’t…_

“O-One capsule was d-damaged! It was m-mine! I was supposed t-to stay behind! Fuck, d-damnit! H-He s-shove me i-into his, he-“, Keith choked, not able to scream as loud as he needed to not get suffocated by the guilt in his chest. He trashed around, banging his fist against the floor, while he was about to rip his hair off. _I should’ve died in his place! Why Lance?! Why the guy who has a family awaiting him at home?! How am I supposed to look his mother in the eyes and tell her that it was my fault?! That she’ll never see her son again?!_

Shiro grabbed Keith’s fists, pushing them on the ground, while he sat down on Keith’s stomach. “Keith, calm down! It’s not your fault! It was Lance, okay?! Lance! Do you really think he would’ve actually agreed on you staying back?! You know him better than that! That was no decision you two made, it was Lance’s! He decided, because he knew you both wouldn’t let the other down! He wanted you to be safe, Keith!” Shiro yelled, trying to drown Keith’s screams. _Lance… You saved my brother on your own accord… I wish you could see, how much he cares, that all your bickering was because he was worried about you… Please, I pray you are save…_

“B-But, S-Shiro! L-Lance!” Keith sobbed, hyperventilating slightly. _My fault… It was all my fault…_

“Keith, calm down! Think logically, Lotor won’t kill him! He wants our lions and I bet he’ll hold Lance in hostage, so he has something to pressure us into giving him what he wants!” Shiro tried to convince him. _That’s right, Lotor isn’t that dumb… He wouldn’t throw a bargaining chip that carelessly away._

“W-What if they t-torture him, Shiro? I-I c-couldn’t forgive m-myself, i-if something h-happened to h-him.” Keith spoke, wondering when he had cried the last time. _If he gets scars… Oh god, Lance…_

“Keith, breathe!” Katie spoke up, kneeling next to her friend. Her shaking hand brushed over Keith’s hair, trying to comfort him in some way. _I know how he feels, I was shocked about Matt’s disappearing as well…_

“Coran, please prepare a healing pod. I think Keith’s mental state won’t get any better, as long as he’s awake. We should take care of these minor wounds at least.” Allura spoke, directing a soft look towards Keith. _This is my fault, I shouldn’t have send them onto this dangerous mission… I shouldn’t destroy these humans lives in the first place… They do this for me… I hope Lance is save…_

“K-Katie, w-what if-“, Keith sobbed, not daring to complete the sentence.

“Keith, don’t. He is Lance, remember? He’s probably making fun of Lotor right now and is driving him insane. I bet that prince will return him with pleasure.” Katie tried to joke casually. _Yeah, Lance is surely making them regret capturing him… Also, he is a capable warrior, I bet he’ll escape somehow…_

“He is an annoying ass.” Keith admitted with a pout. _He’s my annoying ass… Shit, I should’ve never let go of his hand…_

Hunk smiled lightly. “Yeah, he is our annoying and loveable pilot of the blue lion, so we’ll get his ass back on this ship.” he said, a bit confidence emitting from his voice. _He’s my best friend, I know him the best and I believe in him, he’ll do it! Lance is strong!_

“You shouldn’t forget that you got me back as well, right? I was held hostage for years and here I am, happy and still alive.” Matt added, smiling fondly. _Don’t give up, hope dies last!_

“Yeah… Thank you, guys.” Keith snivelled, wiping his tears away, as he hugged his smaller friend. Katie stopped shaking, glad that Keith calmed down. _They are right, I need to pull myself together and save him… I owe him one…_

Shiro smiled and backed off a little. He was glad to see his team like a unity and not like a group of individuals who didn’t care about the others. On the other hand, he could feel his hate towards Lotor grow even more than before. He did his best to be neutral but after the Galran prince dared to kidnap someone from his team, his family, Shiro was seething with anger.

“Speak of the devil, someone hacked into our systems and left a video message.” Coran announced, after he had prepared the healing pod.

\---

“Blue, Blue, wake up.” a female voice said. _The poor boy looks terrible…_

“Huh?” Lance asked, squinting his eyes, as bright lights disturbed his sleep. “What happened?” he asked with a raspy voice.

A woman, half of her face hidden behind strands of her hair, appeared. They were white, a slight shade of purple mixed into it. She was slim but had some curves. A tight dress, white with blueish details was clothing her. On the visible part of her face were Altean-like marks, glowing purple. Her eyes were purple near the pupil and blended into a shade of blue. Her skin was slightly tanned. If Lance wasn’t in the situation he was in, he would’ve deemed the woman as truly beautiful. “Good morning, Blue. How do you feel?” she asked.

“Uhm, well, I feel dizzy… Who are you?” Lance mumbled. _Woah, she’s pretty! What is she doing here?_

“I’m not allowed to answer that question. However, I have some clothes for you, you should wear them.” she said monotone, putting a suit on a chair. _I don’t like this at all…_

Lance’s eyes widened, as he saw Haggar behind her, smirking devilish. “Be careful!” Lance screeched.

Haggar started to laugh. “You sure are cute, aren’t you? Why would a person like her walk around without my knowledge? She isn’t someone who’ll help you, dumbass, she is my subordinate.” Haggar snorted. _Seriously, these paladins are denser as I thought… Must be their race…_

“Why?! Hey, you! Aren’t you Altean or something?! Why the fuck would you side with Zarkon?!” Lance called, violently pulling on his chains. _This woman is not with Lotor on her will, I can feel it!_

“What is an Altean?” the girl asked. _Altean? I’ve heard that term before… I think prince Lotor said it… What was it again?_

“Silence!” Haggar’s voice boomed, causing the girl to look on the floor. “I can’t remember to give you permission for talking freely.” she added angrily, eying Lance in distrust. _I need to make sure he isn’t talking too much with her…_

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. Please, I beg you to forgive me.” the girl spoke obedient. _Right, I’m getting ahead of myself again…_

Haggar pushed the girl away looking at the records. Lance seemed to had lived through everything he did in his life successfully, causing her smirk to grow bigger. “I guess you are ready now.” Haggar said simply, using her magic to change Lance’s clothes. They were similar to the ones the weird girl wore, resembling some Altean clothing.

That moment caused Lance to realize how royal the other one looked. “Were you kidnapped? Are you a princess?” Lance whispered, as Haggar turned around, searching for something. The girl looked at him but was too scared to answer. “What the fuck are you planning?!” Lance yelled at the witch, worried looks directed at the girl, who must be around his age.

Haggar turned around, seemingly annoyed by the tanned teen. “If it wouldn’t be against my orders, I’d sew your mouth shut.” she hissed. _Maybe I can convince the prince to give me permission… Well, never mind, he won’t talk back that much longer, I’ll just have to endure it…_

“You guys will regret your doing soon enough! My team will come and save me!” Lance spat through gritted teethes. _And I swear they’ll kick your asses!_

“Oh, I hope they will, otherwise our plan would be ruined.” Haggar laughed in amusement. _Humans…. So dense!_

“What?” Lance gulped. _Okay, that’s not what I expected… Sure, they’ll expect my team to come here and want to imprison them but what was that laughing for?!_

“You will be the bait to get them where we want to have them and when they arrive, you’ll kill them one by one.” Haggar laughed. _The best way to get rid of your enemies, without using your own forces!_

“As if I’d do that! Just shoot me and stop wasting your time!” Lance spat angrily. _Not in a million years!_

“You will do that, trust me. Your brain won’t be able to resist my orders.” she smirked. _No one can go against me!_

Lance flinched slightly, as the woman next to him squeezed his hand for a second, flashing a pained smile at him. “Wait, what do you mean?!” Lance asked in panic, helplessly staring at the muted girl. Her actions were based on something, that Lance couldn’t describe but somehow, it sent shivers down his spine.

“Did ya ever heard the term ‘mind control’ before? That’s pretty much what I’ll do with you.” Haggar sighed. _I pray this human doesn’t turn out to be like Lotor… One is already too much to handle…_

“No, I won’t allow that! You, help me, please!” Lance screamed, looking at the woman next to him. _Why is she standing there like that?! What is going on?!_

“You shouldn’t befriend your brain so much with her, she’s the one who’ll do the job.” Haggar laughed. _Plot twist, oops!_

Lance eyes showed pure horror. He finally understood, what her eyes showed: sorrow, regret and pain. He could tell that she didn’t wanted to hurt him, he could see it. Despite that, she was somehow chained to Haggar’s demands.

“I’ll prepare the room, keep an eye on him.” Haggar demanded, leaving them alone.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could just disobey and let you go but I can’t. Since your mind is probably blank in a few hours, tell me your real name. In case you’ll forget it, I’ll keep it for you.” the girl whispered. Lance did not understand what she was talking about. “Haggar, she said I should call you Blue but I doubt that that’s your real name, right?” she explained further. _I need to keep as much of his personality as I can…_

“I’m Lance, Lance McClain.” he replied. _Why am I telling her the truth? Who is this girl? Why?! This is too much! Argh, god damnit!_

“Nice to meet you, Lance, even if the circumstances are shitty. You can call me Violet, we’ll probably be introduced to each other, after the turn.” Violet explained. _He’ll surely hate me soon but I need to understand how born creatures behave and converse, I don’t want to fall behind…_

“Wait, turn?! What do you mean?!” Lance gasped. _Oh no, this is heading into the wrong direction!_

“Please keep your voice down, I don’t know how many guards are still around. Sadly, I will be manipulating you strong enough, to make you serve Lotor on your own will. You will basically swap the side.” Violet explained. _His expression, this is called pain, right?_

“No… Please, you need to save me!” Lance panicked. _What is up with her?! She is giving me these weird vibes but somehow, I do trust her…_

“I apologize but I fear I can’t. At least you aren’t manipulated by Haggar herself, she’s a lot crueller than I am.” Violet sighed. _And merciless…_

“Let’s go, the room is prepared.” a guy said, showing the table with Lance on through the room.

“As you wish.” Violet agreed, following him.

\---

“What is this?! Is that bastard trying to prank us?!” Katie yelled, as she finally decoded the message Lotor’s people had sent. _He has nerves, I’ll cut his dick off!_

“Wait, Katie! I think this is a paused live video.” Matt interrupted, typing a few things on the keyboard-like thing. A weird sound was recognizable, as Lotor’s face got visible.

“Greetings, my dearest paladins!” Lotor hummed, smirking arrogantly.

“This bitch…” Keith hissed, clenching his hands into fists. In the background, you could see Lance, hanging chained up on a wall. _I’ll kill him!_

“I bet you want your little friend back, right? Well, since I’m such a generous person, I’ll give him back, under one condition, of course. Send the red paladin over, he’ll do the proceedings with me. Why I ask for him? Because your little Lance guy asked for it and as a nice person, I’m not ignoring his wishes~ Well, if you decide to show up as team, his precious little head will roll faster as you can blink.” Lotor announced.

“That’s obviously a trap.” Shiro stated. _He knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s not playing fair!_

“How can a prince behave so shameful?” Allura hissed. _This is so not okay!_

“Stay calm, princess. Not everyone is as honourable as you.” Coran told her. _This shameless guy… If he hurts one of our paladins, he’ll get to know me!_

“I’ll go.” Keith announced, getting a pleased expression from Lotor.

“As expected, red paladin. I’ll await you! Oh and no weapons~” Lotor chuckled and ended the video.

Katie made immediately sure, that Lotor couldn’t hear anything anymore and turned around in worry.

“Keith, no! I don’t approve!” Shiro interrupted. _I won’t lose another friend to the hands of our enemies. If I would’ve been a better leader, this wouldn’t have happened…_

“No Shiro, I’ll go. I’m bringing Lance back.” Keith said, determination flashing in his eyes. _Just wait, Lotor, I’ll end your life!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was working on this idea for a while now and I love the concept of Lance turning evil and Keith trying to save him! 
> 
> I hope you like it as well, Opinions are appreciated!


	2. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lance and Keith meet and it doesn't turn out as he wished

Allura’s face mirrored worry, as she stepped into something the paladins had called ‘meeting room’. They laid on the sofa, one looking more exhausted than the other. What broke her heart the most was the fact, that they all were sleeping on one spot, Lance’s jacket forming the middle of it. Tears were swelling up her eyes.

“Princess, it’s late. Why are you still awake?” Coran asked quietly, startling Allura for a second.

“I’m just up to see how the paladins are doing. I don’t know much about humans but they seem to be in a terrible state and it’s my fault.” she whispered, her eyes filled with guilt.

“My princess, please don’t say that. You couldn’t have known that your father left such an important resource for the reconstruction of our planet behind, how should you even know? Not even I knew it and I was near to always with him. Lotor himself doesn’t know about it yet and surely thought our reason for invading his ship was to kill him. Also, he won’t kill the blue paladin. They were working on a plan quite long, so I guess we’ll get him back in no time.” Coran assured her.

“Still, if I would’ve worked harder, if I had planned it better, maybe Lance wouldn’t be in danger now. I mean, they aren’t as long living as we are, Coran. They die after just hundred years at best and vanish. Still, they risk their lives for me. They have a planet and families to go back to and what do they do? Risking their lives for a pathetic princess who isn’t even able to make proper plans.” Allura mumbled in frustration. _I’m so useless…_

Coran wrapped his arms wordlessly around the small frame of the princess, patting her head gently. When she was still a kid and often upset, Coran used to pat her head and pull her into a tight embrace to calm her down. He had to smile a little, as it still worked like the years before. His eyes glanced over to the paladins. He refrained from calling them by names, since he was still traumatized to lose all his friends, the former paladins. Still, he was glad Allura didn’t. She was all alone after Alfor’s disappearance and he had always wished for his daughter to make friends. Coran saw the paladins as her friends, since she addressed them by their names. “You know, prince- uhm… Allura? Yeah, uhm… Allura, don’t worry, please.” Coran whispered, causing the young woman to look up. _Why is this so hard? Even for an old man like me…_

“C-Coran?” she asked with tears in her eyes. It had been years, since Coran had addressed her by her given name.

“I believe, that our paladins will succeed. They might be not as strong and long living as our former paladins were but they are as strong in mind and at heart. We will save the blue paladin. Lance will come back to us, believe me. I lost all I had once and I won’t let it happen twice.” he spoke, cracking a smile. _Or at least, I hope they are…_

“That sounds almost like you intend to fight as well.” Allura sniffed.

“If that’s what it need, I’ll do it. As Altean, it is my duty to help you as good as I can. As a person, I’ll do anything that’s within my power.” Coran smiled, the still not faded pain of the last years written all over his face.

\---

The next morning, Hunk saw Keith sitting in a corner, mumbling incomprehensible things, while he stroke the blade of his knife.

“What is it, Keith?” Hunk asked, sitting next to him. They weren’t exactly good friends like Hunk and Lance or Keith and Katie but they talked from time to time, since Hunk was a very good listener and could understand, what persons like Keith tried to express.

“You know, Lance is just… like my knife.” Keith sighed, pulling his feet closer.

“Uhm, could you explain that?” Hunk smiled.

“I want him to stay by my side forever.” Keith mumbled shyly. “Y-You did not hear that!” Keith screeched afterwards, realising he had said that aloud.

As Lance’s best friend, Hunk had to smile. “Don’t worry, we will get him back.” Hunk said. _Oh Lance, if you just knew your feelings are requited…_ “May I ask you a question?”, Hunk asked, continuing after a small nod: “Do you really want to go right into Lotor’s trap? I mean, I think it’s very brave of you to go and save Lance but… you know, it could get very dangerous.” Hunk tried to explain.

“Yes, I know. Lotor also mentioned in a fight, that he wants the lions. I’m pretty sure he will tell me to get the lions, in exchange for Lance. Maybe he’ll put me in prison as well, I don’t know. Katie said, that she will give me a mini camera, which will give you guys a look at what I’m doing. You will also be able to hear the conversations. If we’re lucky, we’ll find a way to infiltrate the ship without being noticed.” Keith explained.

“But Keith, what if you get hurt? What if our connections fail? Isn’t that a bit too risky? I mean, I want Lance back as much as you do but I don’t want to lose you either. You are important, Keith. Lance didn’t just say that to play the hero, he really does think like that of you.” Hunk mentioned, getting a huff from Keith. “Come on, he does admire you. Why do you think he’s doing that rivalry thing with you? He thinks he’s not as good and important as the others and is a bit jealous that you, for example, are so good at everything.” he added.

“I’m not even that good.” Keith sighed.

“I’m in no position to judge that but believe me, you are talented and Lance sees that. In fact, I think he’s annoyed that you don’t credit your own talent.” Hunk sighed.

“As if Lance would think like that of me.” Keith snorted.

“You’d be surprised, if you would just believe me.” Hunk snickered, smiling as a disbelieving look crawled up Keith’s face.

“Keith? Shiro wants to talk to you.” Katie said, typing on her laptop.

Keith nodded and left. Katie waited a moment and sat down, next to Hunk. “So?” Hunk asked.

“So what?” Katie gave back.

“Well, since you’re comfortably leaning on me, I guess there is something bothering you?” Hunk explained.

“I wouldn’t call it bothering, it’s just… Somehow, I’m not that confident in my skills anymore… When I double checked the rescue pods, I was sure everything worked perfectly. If anything happened to Lance… it’s my fault…” Katie mumbled, tears welling up her eyes.

“Come on, calm down. You know, it’s not your fault. Maybe the Galra noticed us earlier and sabotaged them or it was a technical defect, either way, you can’t do more then checking. You aren’t the machine, so you can’t assure what it will do.” Hunk whispered, hugging the small girl tightly.

“I get why Lance likes you that much, you really are a good friend.” she sniffed, turning her laptop towards him. “Would you mind checking this stuff with me? Matt looked over it as well but a third person might be a good idea.” she added, getting an approving look from Hunk.

\---

A few hours later, Keith was sitting on the roof of Lotor’s ship.

“Okay, Lotor said that he’ll await you in the west hangar but you won’t go there. Firstly, you’ll check the prison cells. Judging after our analysis, that part is as good as not guarded, since Lotor called them up to wait for you. He is thinking that you will guess, that Lance is with him. You need to be quick.” Katie explained.

“I got that. Where is my entrance?” Keith asked.

“Remember the little thing I gave you? Go to the north and put it onto a ventilation system, it will open the cover for you.” Katie said.

“Got it.” Keith said and did as he was asked to.

“Hmm, wait, what was the code again?” Matt asked Katie and typed something.

Matt, don’t!” Katie yelled, pushing him aside. “Keith? Follow the vents, they lead down there. You must go twice to the left and turn right afterwards. A long stairway should lead down.” Katie said.

Keith frowned, as he heard the cracking noise in his ear. “Okay, got that.” he answered thoughtfully. _What are they doing?_

“But Katie, we need to make sure our signals won’t get caught by Lotor. Otherwise, we’ll give him Keith’s exact location.” Matt argued.

“But there is a chance we’ll get disconnected from Keith, if we do so and we can’t afford that to happen.” she reminded him.

“But that chance is near to nothing. Also, we can reconnect as well, so it shouldn’t be a problem. We need to assure his safety first, don’t you think?” Matt tried to convince her.

“But… what if…” Katie said, an unsure look on her face. _What if I… fail?_

As Matt was about to argue against her thoughts, a flash of light reached their faces, before the whole castle started to shake: a power out.

“NO!” Katie screamed, falling onto the ground. _Keith!!!_

“Is everyone okay?!” Shiro asked, getting unsure nods and grunting from all sides. _That was actually pretty painful…_

“Keith? Can you hear us? Keith?! Shit!” Matt hissed. _No! Reconnect!_

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of this. I don’t know what happened, but I’ll find it out and rectify whatever went wrong.” Coran assured them and hurried off. _I will not fail, not again._

“I’ll go up and look, if this was the work of our enemies. Please hold on, everybody.” Allura added and left them as well. _I need to get myself together, there are paladins to save!_

“Let us get our armours! We don’t know, if we’ll have to fight or not.” Shiro ordered. _Why now?!_

“Could I and Matt stay back to reconnect with Keith?” Katie asked, her face full of serious worry. _Why?! Why?! Not again! Damn it!_

“For now, you can. If there are any intruders, you’ll follow immediately after us.” Shiro said after a short break, running off with Hunk. _God, let them be alright…_

“This is a disaster!” Katie yelled, violently punching her fist into the table. _Why can I only lose?!_

“Calm down, don’t worry. It’s Keith, he will be fine.” Matt said, trying to get the machine somehow to work. _Please be fine, Keith…_

\---

Keith panted slightly, unsure if he actually took the right path or if he was lost. “I think Katie said it must be around here.” he muttered, carefully approaching a row of prison cells. He could guess why nobody was down there to guard the prisoners, most of them where consciousness. He tried to contact his team but the connection failed. A sound of footsteps approaching him caught his attention. What irritated him the most was how familiar they sounded. There was nowhere he could hide, so he pulled his knife, waiting for the enemy to appear.

“Lance!” Keith called, a relieved smile on his face, as he saw the other in front of him. However, he halted, as he realized that something was… off. Lance was behaving strangely and also, his appearance made Keith frown. “What are you wearing?” Keith asked carefully. _Lance…?_

“This? Haggar gave it to me. Looks pretty neat, right?” Lance laughed. _Even though there aren’t many things I don’t look good in…_

Keith’s distrust grew even more with Lance’s statement. His laugh send chills down Keith’s spine and his eyes were fogged. “L-Lance?” Keith asked, debating if the guy in front of him could be a clone. _Why is this so… odd?_

“Yes, Keith?” Lance answered, a smug grin on his face, as his mischievous voice resounded in the silent hallway.

“What happened with you?” Keith asked, pure horror written on his face. This guy wasn’t the Lance he knew, and his brain couldn’t comprehend, what in Voltron’s name was happening.

“You were right Keith. You were always right~ I wasn’t meant to be a hero.” Lance giggled, the miserable sound of his cracked laugh scratching on Keith’s sanity.

“What are you talking about?! Are you out of mind?!” Keith asked, completely unable to cope with Lance’s strange behaviour. _What am I supposed to do now?! Nobody told me about the possibility of this scenario!_

“You are wrong. I was never meant to be great like you, Keith. I was just a placeholder.” Lance said in a singsong voice. _Despair and death~_

“L-Lance? It's me, Keith! I came to save you!” Keith called, the grip on his knife tightening again. _I have to get him back… somehow…_

“Sure thing, red paladin. You came to save me... what a joke. See Keith, you were always the best, and I? I was just a mere replacement for you. This time, I'll defeat you. Prepare to die… you’ll taste the feeling of being the second choice.” Lance spoke with a bitter remark, lifting his hand up to shoot a ball of dark magic at Keith.

“What the fuck?! Lance! Wake up! Stop talking shit and come with me already!” Keith yelled, dodging the dangerous material Lance was firing.

“Don’t run away, Keith~” Lance hummed, laughing insanely. _Come to me, pretty face~_

Keith defended himself with a shield, completely paralysed by the situation. “Lance, what are you doing?! Why are you helping Lotor?! Since when do you have those sick powers?!” Keith asked, getting blown away by a magic ray.

“Why shouldn’t I, huh? Lotor’s assistant gave these powers to me and I think forces suit me very well.” Lance laughed hysterically, his eyes dark and cold. _Power… more…_

“I’m fucking serious Lance, this isn’t like you at all!” Keith hissed, holding his injured arm. _Even I can tell, that this is not you!_

“Shut up! Don’t talk like you know me! Begone, eyesore!” Lance yelled, attacking him again. _Damn prick!_

Keith tried to connect with the team but failed again. Lance pushed Keith down and fell on his knees, tears streaming down his face. “You have never… tried… to understand me… I just… I wanted to be… a valued part of the team… Is that so wrong?!” Lance sobbed. _Never… I will… never… value…_

“L-Lance! You are a valued part of the team! You are our sharpshooter! What would we do without you?!” Keith tried to assure him. _Where is the team, when I need them the most?!_

“Keith?” Lance asked, a smile on his face, while a single tear ran down his cheek. “Things will work themselves out, won’t they?” Lance said bitterly, causing Keith to go pale. Never had he heard Lance speaking like that and neither could he believe the boy in front of him was Lance.

“Lance, snap out of it!” Keith hissed, shaking him violently. _What is going on with him?!_

“What are you talking about? Things are working out, aren’t they?” Lance giggled devilishly.

Keith jumped on Lance, pinning the male to the ground. Just for a second, Lance seemed like himself. His eyes were showing a shocked expression, while his cheeks heated up and his lips tried to contain the cocky smirk he was giving Keith nonstop. “Lance, don’t be so arrogant~ We both know who of us is superior.” Keith purred, smirking satisfied, as the male underneath shuddered violently. “You never were the second choice, neither a replacement, nor not good enough. You aren’t the blue paladin by chance, Lance. You are a paladin, because you have talent. If you hadn’t, you would’ve died a long time ago. You are special, Lance and you are precious to us! Please return to us! Come back! I’d give my life to see the annoying asshole you are being himself again.” Keith spoke, his eyes containing a lot of pain, as he looked at Lance. The guy wasn’t himself, he could tell that and furthermore, he was controlled by something, since his eyes seemed to be possessed by that fog.

“K-Keith…” Lance breathed, his voice sounding normal for a second. _This is… Keith…?_

Keith leaned down, kissing the other male softly. “I’m sorry, Lance.” he whispered, slumping onto the others body, as he hugged him tightly. Lance blushed hardly, gasping at the sudden kiss. Unfortunately, his mind got clouded from one second to another, causing him to stab Keith from behind. Keith gasped, blood dripping from his mouth onto the others cheek. “L-Lance…” Keith panted, losing consciousness. _Why… did you… betray me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> *Bam!* Have some angst! I know I haven't updated since forever but I'm really busy with school and stuff but I won't abandon any story! Just be a bit patient with me ^^"
> 
> I hope you still like my stories and this update!


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